Residence time, children's mental health, and parent-child relationships in separated families: A longitudinal study.

This study examined the longitudinal association between the division of children's residence time between parents and their depressive and anxiety symptoms using children's self-reports. We also explored whether the quality of mother-child and father-child relationships moderated the associations between residence time with the father and children's mental health symptoms. The sample included 266 children aged 6-16 years at baseline from 217 families recruited through family counseling offices across Norway. Mixed-effects regression models were used to assess associations between a continuous measure of division of residence time and children's depressive and anxiety symptoms across four time points. Results indicated that a more equal division of residence time between parents was associated with a weaker increase in anxiety symptoms over time compared to a less equal division of residence time. Children with a conflictual father-child relationship had higher levels of depressive symptoms when division of residence time was more equal between parents. These findings suggest that equal division of residence time may help buffer against increasing anxiety symptoms. However, if the father-child relationship was conflictual, increased residence time with the father was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. The results highlight the importance of considering relational dynamics when advising on residence arrangements for children when parents live apart. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).